Sliding door lock



P 7, 1943' A. VANDERVELD SLIDING DOOR LOCK 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 4, 1946 ATTORNEYS Sept. 7, 1948. A. YANDERVELD SLIDING DOOR LOCK s Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 4, 1946 VANDERVLLQ Aumom .fii

TTORNEYS Sept. 7, 1948.

A. VANDERVELD SLIDING noon LOCK v 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 4, 1946 5 33 \NVENTORI Aumouv VANDERVELD 2%. a

} ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 7, 1948 SLIDING DOOR LOCK Anthony Vanderveld, Grand Rapids, Mich, assignor to Grand Rapids Store Equipment Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application March 4, 1946, Serial No. 651,682

The present invention relates to a lock for sliding doors. It is primarily adapted for use with an application to the sliding glass doors of show cases used in stores for holding and displaying articles of merchandise.

One well known and largely used type of show case has a base, with fixed vertical sides and front and a horizontal top largely if not entirely of glass, with the back closed by movable sliding The present invention is directed to a lock for such doors which is of a simple construction, readily produced, easily operated and which may be mounted substantially at the center of the show case and adjacent the lower edgesof the door. In its operative position, with the doors closed it securely'holds the doors against sliding movement and thereupon locks the doors against movement, preventing access to merchandise within the'show case.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective rear view of a show case to which my invention is applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged transverse vertical section illustrating the slidable mounting of the doors upon carriages therefor.

Fig.3 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectionand elevation showingthe lock in its operative locking position.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the lock in its inoperative position.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a view of the look from its opposite side in its operative position. v

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 with the lock in its released or inoperative position.

Fig. '7 isa fragmentary elevation of the portion of the case at which'the lock is located, the position of the lock being indicated in dotted lines.

.aFlgzB is a fragmentary plan of the lock and the 7 Claims. (Cl. 70-82) adjacent door carriers between which the lock is located.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section through the lock and the member in which it is mounted, the sec- 1 tion in Fig. 9 being at a plane a short distance below its upper ends.

Fig. 10 is a similar section, the plane of said section being lower than in Fig. 9, and through the key operated lock structure.

Fig. 11 is an end elevationof the'lock.

Fig. 12 is a transverse vertical section through the structure shown in Fig. 11 at a plane located approximately at the key operated barrel lock of member.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the lock, taken looking downwardly and at the rear side thereof.

Fig. 13a illustrates in perspective a slight modification in form of the inner side of one end of the lock construction.

Fig. 14 is a front elevation of a wall case construction, having an upper display section with sliding closing doors to which a lock of my invention is applicable.

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary vertical section, similar lock the upper drawer of a plurality of drawers located below the upper display part of the wall case.

Fig. 17 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section through the lock and adjacent parts, with the lock in operative position as in Fig. 16.

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary plan showing the keeper used at the upper edge of the front of the.

upper drawer.

Fig. 19 is a vertical transverse section, similar to Fig. 17, illustrating a modification in structure and the way the lock is used therewith.

Fig. 20 is a plan similar to Fig. 18, showing the keeper construction used with the drawer.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

The show case, generally designated at I, has a base, and vertical ends and front and a horizontal top largely of glass above the base. The doors 2 and 3 at the back of the case are located above a rear base portion 4 at the upper side of which guides for the door carrying carriages are secured. Said guides of metal are of substantially U-shaped form having a horizontal bottom or we 5 (Fig. 2) and front and rear vertical parallel fl nges 6. A center or middle vertical member I, midway between and parallel to the flanges 6, extends the full length of said carrying guides for the door carriages except for a short distance midway between its ends where it is removed for the reception of the lock of my invention.

Carriages in the form in inverted U-shaped elongated members 8 of thin metal are located in the spaces between the flanges 6 and 1 and arev provided with rollers 9, the upper portion of which extend through suitable openings in the upper sides of the carriages, against which rollers the lower edges of the closure doors 2 and 3 bear. The door 3, as shown, rides upon a carriage at one side of the division web or partition I, and the door 2 upon the other carriage located at the opposite side of said partition l. Said doors when closed overlap at their adjacent vertical edges for a short distance as shown in Fig. 1.

The lock of my invention is located between the flanges 6, midway between the ends thereof and at the place where the doors 2 and 3 overlap when closed. Such lock (Fig. 13) is made of metal and includes a U-shaped body member having a vertical flange ill at one side, a horizontal web H and a spaced vertical flange l2, portions of both of said flanges l and I2.being removed as shown to provide space for the operation of the immediate folding members which engage with the doors. At one end of this channel like body a key operated lock is mounted. It is disposed between the spaced flanges Ill and 16, under an upper cover plate l3 and between two end plates M. The lock i5 thus enclosed has a body of metal in which a barrel i6 is mounted to turn upon its horizontal longitudinal axis. The body of the lock and the barrel I6 are provided with spring actuated tumblers H which are brought into position by insertion of a key is into the barrel so that the barrel may be freely turned by the key. At the inner end of the barrel a horizontal pin l9 extends therefrom through an are shaped slot 20, the barrel being limited in rotation by the pin coming to the ends of the slot 20.

As shown in Fig. 13a, the triangular shaped end of the key, shown at I8a, extends through a circular opening 20a together with the pin H]. To limit the key, and therefore, the barrel IS in rotation, the flange 6, as shown in Fig. 7, has a key passing opening slightly greater than a semi-circle, the key being stopped in turning after it has moved 180 from either of its extreme positions. The projecting end I 8a of the key serves to stabilize the key against lateral or other undesired movement.

At the outer side of the side In of the lock carrying channel a lever 2| is pivotally mounted between its ends at 22 to turn about a horizontal axis. One arm 23 of the lever extends underneath pin I9. The arm 24 at the opposite side of the pivot terminates in an upwardly extending finger 25. In Fig. 13, the lever is shown as of two parts which are permanently and inseparably connect- .ed, to be in elTect integral, and of course, such lever may be made from a single piece of metal of the requisite thickness. It is shown in the two-part construction appearing because the two parts may be more quickly processed by punch press operators and afterward permanently secured together, the expense being less than use of a single part lever of the required thickness, too thick to be readily produced by normal punch press operations.

Adjacent the end of the supporting channel member of the lock, an arm 26, terminating at one end in an up-turned lip or finger 2'! is 1ocated between the flanges I0 and I2. Between its ends an arm 28 extends over the upper edge of the arm 24 of lever 2i. The opposite end of the member 26 is formed with two downwardly extending spaced apart legs 29 mounted to turn on a horizontal pivot pin 30, carried by the spaced flanges IE) and I2 as shown in Fig. 13.

' Upon the pin l9 being turned to lower position, as in Fig. 13, lever 2| is turned in a clockwise direction lifting the fingers 25 to an upper vertical position. Simultaneously with such movement, the member 26 is turned in a counterclockwise direction, because of the lifting of the arm 28, thus elevating the finger 21 to a similar vertical upper position. This is shown in Fig. 13, and also in Figs. 3 and 5; while in Figs. 4 and 6 upon turning the lock to move the pin l9 to upper position, the lever 2| and the member 26 drop by gravity or b spring pressure as shown to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 6, lowering the fingers 25 and 21 as shown therein.

The look as thus described is installed and secured midway between the ends of the channel carriage guides, the intermediate partition I being cut away at its middle portion and the lock installed as shown in Fig. 8. Preferably, the lock is covered by a thin metal cover 3| secured by screws and having a down-turned flange 32 as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, with openings for the passage of the fingers 25 and 21.

Wth the lock thus installed the members 2| and 26 in the inoperative position as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, permit the doors 2 and 3 to freely slide. To look the doors against movement, they 5 are moved to closed position, as in Fig. 1, the

key is inserted in the barrel I6 and the barrel turned to move the pin [9 from upper position, in Fig. 6, to lower position shown in Figs. 5 and 13. This lifts the two fingers 25 and 21 above the lower edges of the doors 3 and 2, respectively, and substantially at the inner vertical edges of such doors, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The fingers 25 and 21 thereon interpose positive stops against sliding movements of either of the doors, which are held locked against movement until by operation of the key l8, the stopping or obstructing fingers 25 and 2'! are lowered to their inoperative positions shown in Figs. 4 and 6.

The fingers 25 and 21, swinging through an are about the pivotal axes of the pivots 22 and 30, in addition to moving vertically also move short distances horizontally; and should the doors not be completely closed, which might occur because of slight rebound when brought up against cushion stops at their outer edges, they will still engage with the inner edges of the door, and when the fingers 25 and 21 reach their final vertical positions, as in Figs. 3 and 5, will have moved the doors the slight distance. required to completely close them. Such are paths of travel of the fingers further insures that they will not come up against the under edges of the doors, should the doors be slightly away from closed position, as they would do if the fingers were positioned vertically at all times, and during their movements.

In Figs. 14 to inclusive, the lock is used in connection with sliding glass doors at the front of an upper display portion or section of a wall case, which is used in stores, usually though not necessarily, against the wall of the store, below the doors, one above another, drawers may in some cases, be located.

The lock is slightly modified in structure to simultaneously lock the upper drawer with the locking of the doors against sliding movement. The locking of the drawers below the upper drawer follows the old and well known conventional automatic locking of the lower drawers when the upper drawer is at its inner position, such'lock for the lower drawers being released when the upper drawer is pulled out. Therefore, a locking of the upper drawer simultaneously with the locking of the sliding doors at the frontof the displaysection results in all of the drawers being locked against outward movement.

The upper drawer illustrated at 33, may as shownin Figs. 14 to 18 inclusive, be disposed underneath a horizontal partition or bottom 34 at the upper edge portion of which the channel guide ,for the door carrying carriages is secured. With such construction theupper drawer is provided with a keeper, shown as a plate 35 of fiat metal, secured at the upper, edge of the drawer front and extending a short distance back thereof, having a hole 35atherein back of the drawer front- The arm 23 of lever 2|, at its free end, is provided with a downwardly extending finger 36 which, when the lever 2| of which the arm 23 is a part is turned to its locking position (Fig. 16) passes through an opening 31 made in the. bottom of the channel guide.

,Thepartition or bottom 34has a vertical opening therethrough in which a bullet catch construction is installed. It includes a movable plunger 38, slidably mounted within a cylindrical metal housing 39, the plunger 38 having an enlarged head at its upper end and passing at its lower end through the bottom of the housing. It is normally lifted to an upper position, as in Fig. 15, by a light strength coiled compression spring 4|! around it within the housing. When the lock is operated to turn the lever 2| to locking position, as in Figs. 16 to 17, the lower end of the finger 36 presses upon the plunger 38, forcing it downwardly into the hole 35a of the keeper 35. This locks the upper drawer 33 against outward movement, the locking occurring with the drawer at its retracted position.

If the partition of bottom 34 is not used, as may be the case in some installations, the upper edge of the front of the drawer 33 will lie directly underneath the under side 5 of the channel carriage guides. In such case, as shown in Figs. 19 and 20, a block 4| is permanently secured at the rear side and fiush with the upper edge of the drawer front, with an opening 42 in its upper side, positioned for the finger 36 to enter when the lock is moved to its operative position. The sliding doors and the upper drawer, and through it the remaining lower drawers, in this manner are all looked against movement by use of the single lock construction disclosed.

The construction described is very practical, readily produced and assembled, easily installed, is normally out of sight and does not appear except to a minor extent when the finger and 21 are moved to operative locking position. Such lock has proved very useful and practical in service. The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

Iclaim: I

1. A look structure for holding vertical sliding doors, disposed in separated but adjacent vertical planes, from sliding movement with respect to each other, after they have been moved to a position in which, at adjacent vertical edges, said doors overlap for a short distance comprising, a supporting member having a bottom and upof. the other armof said lever.

wardly. extending vertical sides, a :lever 'pivotally mounted between its ends at the .outer side of one of the said sides of the support and substantially midway between the ends of the support, said lever having oppositely extending arms, one of which terminates in an upwardly extending finger, a pivotally mounted member mounted on andbetween the sides of the support, at the-end thereof adjacent which said finger is located, said member having vertical spaced legs through which the pivot extends near their lower ends for mountingon and between the sides of eachsupport, and having an intermediate section extending inwardly from the end of the support provided with a laterally extending arm passing over the upper edge of said finger carrying armofthe lever, vsaid member at its. innerfree. end terminating in an upwardly extending finger,. and .a lock mounted on said supportat .theiopposite end portion thereof, including a key. operated rotat ablebarrel, said side of .the support on which said lever mounted having an are shaped slot there-- in,;anda pin eccentrically mounted on saidbarrel extending through said slot over the upper edge A construction asdefined inclaimnlpand spring means associated with. said member -and the pivot carrying it, acting upon said member tomove it toward thebottom of .said support and press the laterally extending arm. thereof against the upper edge of the .fingercarrying arm of saidlever.

3. A construction as defined in claim 1, and a second finger extending downwardly from the other arm of said lever.

4. The combination with a pair of sliding doors mounted in a guide member of a lock therefor .comprising a lever pivoted between its ends, a finger on one end of the lever adapted to engage one door, means acting upon the other end of said lever to move said finger into engagement with said door, a second pivoted lever having a finger movable into engagement with the other door, means coacting between the levers to actuate the second lever by movement of the first lever and spring means acting to move said fingers on said levers out of engagement with said doors.

5. The elements of claim 4 combined with a drawer adjacent said lock and means actuated by said first lever for engagement with said drawer when the finger thereon is in engagement with said door.

6. In a display case having an entrance opening at a vertical side thereof, an elongated guide member having front and rear channel guides for the length thereof, door carriages disposed in said channels, vertical doors riding at their lower edges, upon said carriages, said doors in position to close said opening overlapping a short distance substantially midway between the ends of said display case, a lock located in said guide below the lower edges of said doors and substantially midway between the ends of the guide, two movably mounted locking members carried by said lock, manually operable key means for actuating one of said locking members, means ooacting between said members to actuate the other one, the movement of said members acting to lift them from a normally lower position below the lower edges of said doors to upper doors engaging positions, one of said members being moved to a position at the inner vertical edge of one of said doors and the other to a like position at the inner vertical edge of the other of said doors when said doors are closed, one of said locking members comprising a lever pivotally mounted between itsends to turn about a horizontal axis; having two arms extending in opposite directions from said axis, one of said arms terminating in an upwardly extending finger, the second of said members comprising a member pivotally mounted at one end and having an intermediate portion terminating in an upwardly extending finger, said intermediate portion having a lateral projection extending over the upper edge of the finger carrying arm of the said lever, said key operated actuating means comprising a rotatable barrel and a pin extending from one end of the barrel over the other of the arms of said lever, said pin being eccentrically positioned with respect to the axis of said barrel, and means for simultaneously turning the other of said locking members to upper operative position on turning said lever to such position.

7. In a display case having an entrance opening at a vertical side thereof, an elongated guide member having front and'rear channel guides for the length thereof, door. carriages disposed in said channels, vertical doors riding at their lower edges, upon said carriages, said doors in position to close said opening overlapping a short distance substantially midway between the ends of said display case, a lock located in said guide below the lower edges of said' doors and substantially midway between the ends of the guide, two movably mounted locking members carried by said lock,

manually operable key means for actuating one of said locking members, means coacting between said members to actuate the other one, the movement of said members acting to lift them from a normally lower position below the lower edges of said doors to upper doors engaging positions, one of said members being moved to a position at the inner vertical edge of one of said doors and the other to a like position at the inner vertical edge of the other of said doors when said doors are closed, one of said locking members comprising a lever pivotally mounted between its ends, to turn about a horizontal axis and having opposite extending arms, one of said arms terminating in an upwardly extending finger, and the other of said arms terminating in a downwardly extending finger, for the purposes described.

ANTHONY VANDERVELD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,007,300 Mason Oct. 31, 1911 2,249,214 Kurtzon July 15, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 153,761 Switzerland June 16, 1932 

